> My questions are this: > > 1) Is there other options besides WRAP or Soekris to create a firewall > appliance using Bering-uclibc (I've recently seen the summary info on the > OpenWRT project too)? > 2) What are the prices (approximate) for these alternatives? > 3) How do I evaluate whether BUC will work on a specific platform? Is > there > If you are willing to use older hardware, there is an inexpensive solution, the Nortel Contivity 1500 VPN. The Contivity is just a 286 PC with plastic covers over most of the ports so the buyers didn't know what they were getting. The Contivity has a medium footprint (12"x10.5"x3.5"), includes a hard drive, and all the ports you would want on a PC.
Back when the Contivity was current technology I replaced Nortel's software with LEAF 2.1/Freeswan. I ran any number of tests against Nortel, Cisco, and my new LEAF VPN. In every case the LEAF beat them hands down. That was impressive because the LEAF was also running Shorewall, SSH, DNS, and DHCP. My only complaint with the Contivity 1500 is it's loud case fan. I replaced mine with a $12 quiet fan and it works great. Of course you can replace the hard drive with a CF card (you will need a CF-IDE connector), and you get a totally silent machine that doesn't even need a fan. The box is a bit heavier than it looks because the electronics are totally encased in a steel RF shield (a DOD requirement). The Contivity 1500 is no longer supported by Nortel, so they flood the market. I got a few when a company I know was tossing about 50 of them out to salvage. I saw one for sale on Ebay for $79. I'm sure if you look you can find more of them at that price. I have other smaller LEAF machines, but, as you said, they cost $300-$400. Roger McClurg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV ------------------------------------------------------------------------ leaf-user mailing list: leaf-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/leaf-user Support Request -- http://leaf-project.org/
